UK Terms

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Margaret Thatcher

a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and the first woman to hold the position.

Tony Blair

a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997 and held various shadow cabinet posts from 1987 to 1994.

Boris Johnson

a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He was previously Foreign Secretary from 2016 to 2018 and the second mayor of London from 2008 to 2016.

Gerry Adams

a retired Irish Republican politician who was the president of Sinn Féin between 13 November 1983 and 10 February 2018, and served as a Teachta Dála for Louth from 2011 to 2020.

Rishi Sunak

a British politician and former investment banker who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2022 to 2024.

Keir Starmer

a British politician and lawyer who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2024 and as Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He previously served as Leader of the Opposition from 2020 to 2024

Nigel Farage

a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Clacton and Leader of Reform UK since 2024, having previously been its leader from 2019 to 2021. He was the leader of the UK Independence Party from 2006 to 2009 and 2010 to 2016.

Kemi Badenoch

a British politician who has served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Conservative Party since November 2024. Badenoch previously worked in the Cabinet for prime ministers Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak from 2022 to 2024.

Humza Yousaf

 a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party from March 2023 to May 2024. He served under his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon as justice secretary from 2018 to 2021 and then as health secretary from 2021 to 2023.

Conservative/Tory Party

a major, centre-right to right-wing political party in the United Kingdom that generally supports free-market capitalism, limited government intervention, a strong national defense, and the preservation of traditional values and institutions.

Labour Party

a center-left political party in the United Kingdom, founded in 1900 to represent the interests of the working class

Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP)

a Scottish social democratic political party that advocates for Scotland to become an independent country and a member of the European Union.

Plaid Cymru

Welsh political party that advocates for a stronger Welsh national identity and aims to improve the country's economic and social conditions. The party's recent policy proposals include a new universal free childcare program, plans for a Green Economic Stimulus to create jobs, and opposition to nuclear weapons.

Sinn Fein

an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Its primary goal is to end British rule in Northern Ireland and achieve the establishment of a single, independent, and united Ireland.

Liberal Democratic (Lib Dems)

a centrist, social-liberal political party in the United Kingdom that advocates for a fair, free, and open society achieved by balancing individual liberty, equality, and community.

Democratic Unionist Party

unionist political party in Northern Ireland that is socially conservative and advocates for Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom.

United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP)

a right-wing populist political party known for advocating the UK's withdrawal from the European Union and promoting stricter immigration controls.

Confederation of British Industry (CBI)

the UK's leading independent, non-profit business lobbying organisation and is not a government body

Trades Union Congress (TUC)

a national federation (umbrella organisation) of trade unions in the United Kingdom that represents the collective interests of workers.

Alternative Vote Referendum*

Part of the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition government agreement. Would set up a ranked choice voting system. Larger parties were not in favor of it. 68% voted no, did not pass 

Austerity Program

a set of government policies, typically implemented during an economic crisis, to reduce a budget deficit through spending cuts and/or tax increases.

Backbenchers

a legislator who is not a minister or front-bench spokesperson, sitting on the benches behind the front benches in a parliamentary system.

Beveridge Report

published in 1942, is a foundational document for the modern welfare state, most notably in the United Kingdom.

British Broadcasting Corporation

a public service broadcaster in the UK that operates under a royal charter and is publicly financed by the license fee, though it also earns commercial revenue.

Brexit

The United Kingdom's 2020 withdrawal from the European Union following a 2016 referendum, and it's studied in terms of its impact on the UK's governance, sovereignty, and relationship with international bodies

Cabinet

the senior decision-making body of the government, consisting of the prime minister and around 20-25 senior ministers chosen by the prime minister to lead specific policy areas.

Celtic Fringe

the regions of the British Isles, primarily Scotland and Wales, that were historically not conquered by the Anglo-Saxons and have maintained distinct local languages and traditions

Coalition Government

a system where two or more political parties join forces to form a government, typically because no single party won a majority of seats.

Clause 4 (Labour Party)

a commitment to public ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange, aiming for the "full fruits of workers' industry".

Collective Responsibility

a constitutional convention where all members of a government cabinet publicly support all government decisions, even if they disagree with them in private.

Collective Consensus

a post-WWII political agreement, especially in the UK, to create a welfare state and reduce the gap between rich and poor through government intervention and social programs.

Common Law

a legal system where laws are developed through judicial decisions (case law) rather than just statutes. It is based on precedent.

Confidence and Supply

a deal in a parliamentary system where a minority government secures the support of another party on essential votes, such as confidence and budget motions, in exchange for policy concessions.

Constitution of the Crown

the United Kingdom's uncodified constitution, which has evolved over time and is composed of written documents, common law, and constitutional conventions.

Devolution

the transfer of power from the central government to regional and local bodies in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and some parts of England, creating devolved governments with authority over specific policy areas.

Euroskeptics

a political stance involving criticism of, or opposition to, the European Union (EU) and the process of European integration.

The “government”

a constitutional monarchy and a unitary parliamentary democracy with a government led by the Prime Minister, who is the head of government, and a monarch who serves as the symbolic head of state.

Good Friday Agreement

a 1998 accord that ended most of the violence of the Troubles in Northern Ireland by establishing a power-sharing government, creating frameworks for cooperation between Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Great Britain, and addressing issues like human rights and paramilitary disarmament.

Gradualism

the policy of making change slowly and incrementally over time, rather than through abrupt revolution.

Hereditary Peers

a member of a legislature, such as the UK's House of Lords, whose right to the position is inherited through family lineage, typically from a parent.

Home Rule

a principle in government that grants local municipalities, like cities and counties, the power to manage their own affairs and self-govern to a significant degree, including creating their own government structures and local laws and ordinances.

House of Commons

the directly elected, lower house of a bicameral legislature that represents the population and is responsible for initiating most legislation, including "money bills" (finance and taxation)

Hung Parliament

a situation in which no single political party has enough seats to have a majority in the legislature.

Life Peers

an appointed member of the upper house of the UK Parliament, the House of Lords, who holds a non-hereditary title for their lifetime.

Loyal Opposition

a political party or group that, while opposing the governing party, remains loyal to the fundamental principles of the state and constitution.

Member of Parliament (MP)

an elected representative who serves in a national legislature, such as a parliament, to make laws and represent the interests of their constituents.

Noblesse Oblige

the moral and social obligation of the privileged, such as the wealthy or powerful, to act responsibly and generously toward those who are less fortunate.

Ulster

a historical province of Ireland and has no official function as an administrative or governmental unit in the United Kingdom today.

Oxbridge*

refers to the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, used collectively to describe two of the world's oldest, most prestigious, and elite universities

Parliamentary Sovereignty

a principle where the legislative branch holds supreme legal authority and can create, amend, or repeal any law without interference from other government bodies, such as the executive or judiciary

Politics of Protest

The study of how citizens use collective action like demonstrations, rallies, and strikes to express grievances and demand social or political change, and how governments respond to these actions.

Prime Minister

the head of government, not the head of state.___ is the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons, is responsible for policy, and leads the Cabinet, but is technically appointed by the monarch

QUANGOS

Quasi Autonomous NGO ties to the government through funding.   

Referendum

a direct public vote where the electorate decides on a single question or proposal, such as whether Scotland should be independent

Shadow Cabinet

a group of senior spokespeople from the main political opposition party in a parliamentary system who form an alternative cabinet to the current government.

Speaker of the House

the politically impartial presiding officer of the House, responsible for moderating debates, maintaining order, administering House services, and representing the House to the Crown and other authorities. Is non-partisan and does not participate in government policy.

Third Way

a centrist political approach that seeks to reconcile right-wing and left-wing ideologies by promoting a blend of social justice and free-market principles.

Vote of No Confidence

a parliamentary procedure where the legislature formally indicates it no longer supports the government, often leading to the government's resignation or a new election.

Whitehall

a metonym for the British central government, encompassing the civil service and government departments, much like the US Executive branch is associated with the "White House".